Issue 54

for Swamis [x]

Bobby Martinez

By: Zach Plopper
Start Date: Wed, Jan 30 | 09:58am
Wed, Jan 30 | 09:59am

Bobby Martinez

It was at an NSSA event in 1995 when I watched Bobby Martinez surf for the first time. I had heard all of the hype, seen the ads, read the stories and now I could finally gauge for myself how good the budding phenom really was.

The event was in Huntington, and there was plenty of size; enough size to put my heart in my little throat on every paddle out. The NSSA’s were stacked with competition in that era. Not to say it isn’t now, but every division had huge stars. Andy, Bruce, Kalani Robb and Timmy Curran were in the older divisions. And then, down at the grommier level, there were kids like Micah Byrne, Anthony Petruso, Timmy Reyes, Fred Patacchia, Mike Losness, Mike Todd and Bobby Martinez. Bobby was in the middle of racking up seven National Titles (a feat finally broken last year by a new phenom…Carissa Moore). Slater comparisons were running rampant. This kid was big news.

I remember that the waves were huge by my tyke standards, but I don’t remember who was in the final other than Martinez. And I only remember one wave, one that impressed me so much that I can still visualize it from beginning to end.

After skipping over a 30-foot flat section he did the same low, hunched, arm dragging bottom turn that defines his approach today, and then harnessed a power house of centrifugal force into a vertical carve underneath a five-foot chunky pier right that was approaching the left he was on. And this was after he did two of the best top turns I have ever seen someone my age do.

That year Martinez went on to win national titles in the Open Boys, Explorer Boys and Explorer Menehuene divisions. It was evident that the Latino surfer from Santa Barbara’s west side was going to make a bigger mark on surfing than amateur titles. Years of surfing in crappy slop at Ledbetter Beach and perfect walls at Rincon, mixed with Martinez’s raw, natural talent, had created a California WCT prospect.

Many professional athletes go through some rough stages. Fortunately, for World Tour viewers, and for Martinez himself, he hit his early on. It had been all too easy to rack up wins and be the most spotlighted young surfer in America. The teenage resilience waned. Martinez got to the age when you actually have to work at winning; especially now that he was attempting to put his stamp on the world stage. Without WQS discipline or drive, Martinez was fed to the sharks for his first few years on the Qualifying Tour.

It left fans and media alike scratching their heads. Was that it? Did Bobby go Eggers on us? To the disappointment of his Cali supporters, Martinez came within a stiff breeze of falling off the map entirely. Then in 2005 surfing saw the resurgence of Bobby Martinez, in committed and determined form he blazed through the events that he lost in the first round the year before and secured a spot on the Dream Tour. Bobby was back. But questions still loomed. What could we expect from this new California Kid?

2006 Martinez’s first year on tour saw him take home Rookie of The Year honors, finish in the top 10 in the final ratings, and claim two World Tour wins, his first coming in Tahiti and the other at Mundaka. Bobby became the people’s choice.

Coming off such a stellar ’06 campaign, came a confusing start to ’07 when Bobby couldn’t make it past the third round for the first three events of the season. Then came a quarterfinal finish in Tahiti, followed by a ninth. Inconsistent though it was, there was a glimmer of hope that Bobby could steer clear of relegation. It was hard to imagine him battling it out on the ‘QS battlefield another year. But with two more 17ths in the two events leading up to Mundaka, he was on the back end of the ratings and was in need of a BIG win. Enter Mundaka. Martinez won in Mundaka in 2006, but we didn’t know it was his favorite event, and maybe it isn’t. But after he won it again in 2007 it had to be.

Although the conditions were less than meager, Martinez managed to slide through heat after heat, putting his Ledbetter skills to work. And what do you know? Martinez finished 2007 in the top ten of the WCT ratings once more, despite a 17th and 33rd in the last two events of the season. For Martinez, 2007 was at best consistent, it was a year marred by the number 17 and characterized by mediocrity.

The question remains: Can Martinez win a world title? He can win World Tour events, three in his two years on tour, and that makes him a contender. We can expect Martinez to do well at the venues he has excelled at so far on his world tour career. With Fiji added to the 2008 season, Martinez has three events on schedule where he’s a favorite. And if Rip Curl’s “somewhere” lands in a land of lefts, Martinez should be penciled in on everyone’s fantasy surf team. But remember, Martinez was bred in rights and his backhand attack is one of the most lethal in the world. So where is his weakness?

The scary thing Martinez really doesn’t have one. He’s gone through the rough patch, had a scary beginning to ’07, and then proved to the world, and to himself, that he can pull through. Not to mention that Martinez loves it, he was bred for it, he wants it, and has a long career ahead of him. This is just the beginning for Mr. Martinez.

SIDEBAR

Bobby Martinez’s 2007 WCT Results

Event: Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast

Location: Snapper Rock, Australia

Result: 17th

Event: Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach

Location: Bells Beach, Australia

Result: 17th

Event: Billabong Pro Tahiti

Location: Teahupoo, Tahiti

Result: 17th

Event: Rip Curl Search Somewhere in Chile